Teppu is a manga about fighters more than fighting. If you are interested in a manga centered around the fights themselves then Kengan Asura or Baki is more your speed. Both are great manga and you will be satisfied.
Its not that the choreography isn't good, and that the fights aren't intense and well-crafted. Because the action is very well done.
But it isn't the focus. The focus is on the characters over all else.
It is a excellent character drama. Only slightly spoiled by its ending that was cut short due to the mangaka's health. In spite of that it is still an absolutely fantastic read.
If you are a fan of strong and developed character driven plots - especially ones built around women - then this is the one for you.

Teppu reads like a reversal of a standard shonen/shojo sports manga.
Our protagonist, Ishido Natsuo, is a bitch and she knows it. She is talented beyond almost everyone else. She is harsh. She enjoys putting others down. She is self-pitying over her own greatness. But under this is a complex character.

Our antagonist, Mawatari Yuzuko, is more in line with the standard protagonist for these kind of stories. She is barely talented but makes up for it with incredible hard work. She is constantly peppy and enjoys fighting for fighting's sake. But the genius of Teppu comes in how this is handled.

Yuzuko and Natsuo's relationship forms the background of the manga.
Its never treated as fanservice to the readers either, its handled very much with a straight face and is all the better for it.

Teppu has the feeling of reading a perfect manga cut short into a great one. It is worth anyone's time to read.

... Last updated on January 13th, 2021, 10:01pm

The manga was great. The characters were fairly interesting, and I really enjoyed the plot and some character development.

However, I feel that after the 2 year break the manga took it felt very slightly rushed. It could use 3 or 4 more volumes to further develop the characters and give the plot a more complete feel. The event that was hyped up so much didn’t get to happen for whatever reason. More volumes would have helped that.

... Last updated on February 17th, 2020, 7:32pm

Liked this one, fund it lacking in some sense but I can't deny it's an original take on an unoriginal setting as is sports and fighting.
The main highlight it's probably its the hardest thing to swallow too, the annoying and disagreeable main char but that at the same time I can't help but find her interesting, it's a real pitty the story is left hanging halfway through, it would be nice to see the development of not only Natsuo but also Yazuko, they are both interesting and flawed characters and would have very much like seeing some insight into those characters.

Teppu packs a punch in all ways: a striking, cruel protagonist; a slew of interesting mental and emotional issues; an engaging story about a fledgling sport; and god DAMN the impactful action in the fights. I gave this series a long review. Teppu is awesome. I'm still sad it had to end so early on in its run. I hope the author picks it up again some day, or becomes healthy enough to draw again.

Full review:
https://terrenceswiff.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/teppu/

I feel like I've waited my whole life for a decent sports manga with a female majority cast.
I love the art. I love how the girls are drawn with muscles. I love how the mangaka doesn't hold back on drawing them punch each other.
I also love the main character. She's a terrible human being and deserves to rot in hell but I can't help it. I've waited forever for an unapologetic, morally skewed, disgusting human being like her. I would probably willingly let her beat me up.
I wasn't expecting the mangaka to touch on the sexism part of the mma world but he did and did it in a tasteful way.
Please read this.

I tried to enjoy this manga, but the first three chapters in, regardless of how the author will try to make the readers sympathetic to her, Natsuo is unlikable. I enjoy martial arts mangas and I don't necessarily need well-liked characters who are full of happiness and plot induced hard as stone idealism, but to purposefully bully people because you're feeling some kind of way makes you unlikable. She's arrogant, yet she doesn't like to see confidence in other people. And even when we find out why Natsuo is the way she is, I can't still sympathize with her. The attitude Natsuo reveals when in competition and immediately after is not the same attitude she has when she's alone or speaking with people she trusts like her coach or her friend, Kei. If she was that Natsuo all the time she would be a likable character, but because she knows she can bully people and taunt them she will do that. I just couldn't appreciate the story much after she purposefully went and bullied the Karate team after watching Ringi on television, which in her mind meant she was preparing to face Yokuzo a second time. I found that uncalled for. She could've went and used a gym facility to warm herself up or something. Asked to spar or something. No, she went and belittled and bullied them.

Others have mentioned other issues with the manga, although the predominant view is that it's 10/10. I just don't see it. Sure when the official competitions start it gets a little better but the main character's personality doesn't develop.

One of my all times favourites. I love everything about this manga. The art is good, and is very accurate at depicting MMA very well. I also love the realism in the character design, all body types and appearance. Not beautiful petite girls all around. The main character is amazing. Narcissistic and cruel but somehow someone you can sympathize with and cheer for. She is a complex person with a complex past.

Love the MC Female's personality, Love her Sadism and Love that she is Actually Strong and not your typical "Determination bleh" protagonist that is plagued in Shonen Cliche mangas

I love the action and this manga has lots of them....

This has potential to go even further i believe coz the big events hasn't even started yet

I love how the lead character is so atypical. She definitely has some kind of reason, maybe some trauma that made her this way, but she needs her satisfaction from crumbling the others' efforts, all the while getting stronger herself. She also doesn't play because she love it, not really, what she really loves is the feelings that sprout out of destroying the strong. There's no "who loves the sport and puts in the most effort wins" cheap moral, it's all about talent and whatever drives you the most, whichever reason it be. Most side characters aren't half as deep and complex as her, but there's plenty to make a good story. The fights are pretty exciting, and for the newbies the martial arts terminology gets explained every now and then. All the ingredients for a pretty darn decent fighting manga. Give it a try.
(I'd rate it around 9, but since I find it underrated I'm giving a 10)

... Last updated on August 8th, 2012, 3:00am

I started reading Teppuu with some amount of trepidation, but it was quickly swept away. This series is a fascinating reversal of the typical shounen/seinen fighter manga. Not only was the main character a girl, but that girl had the personality, history, and goals of what would usually be a cold-blooded antagonist. Natsuo is a true anti-hero, with the sado-masochistic personality to match. I, for one, love her completely. Her perspective is a refreshing change from the norm, and the author illustrates her struggles to fight her omnipresent apathy effectively. She may be a genius, but she also puts insane amounts of effort into her training, something I think is often glossed over in the genius-type antagonist characters of other sports manga. The fact that the "antagonists" of this series are cheerful, friendly, ridiculously gifted in their field, and just have tons of fun doing what they love makes the series even more interesting, as even Natsuo freely admits that her hatred of them stems from jealousy. I simply adore this series and cannot wait for the next update. Teppuu is 100% recommended. Definitely give it a try!

... Last updated on April 12th, 2013, 8:46pm